Viola Marlowe
Vi is a recent addition to the ranks of the Regulators and a university graduate. A disruptor, she shorts out electronics simply by being in their presence. She is on a secret mission to bed every authority figure in her life, though she'll settle for Starbucks employees as necessary. __TOC__ Gwendolyn Viola Marlowe Nicknames/Aliases: Viola, Vi. Occupation: Field researcher with the Regulators, specializing in cryptozoology. Vi's job entails a large amount of field work and a small amount of lab work. Much report-generating. Her main field of interest is in the study of faeries- both Summer and Winter Courts, as well as sidhe in general, but her curiosity tends to lead her to go off on research tangents on pretty much any magical creature she comes across. She ranks high among the peers in her field but in terms of social ranking in the office she'd rank low-to-midlevel probably due to her relative inexperience. She's only just gotten hired at the Regulators and she's incredibly excited about it, very optimistic and gung-ho. Home: Room in a flat she shares with several Aussies and South Africans, all young professionals, hard partyers, and Muggles. The flat is in Hammersmith. Vi's lived there since she began at university, because it was cheaper than student housing. Her parents have a flat in Kensington and her great-aunt has a cottage in Swindon. Vi visits her aunt more frequently than her parents. Finances: Up to her eyeballs in student debt. Her parents refused to pay for classes in her chosen fields and her great-aunt couldn't afford to. On-the-side photography jobs kept her from starving but she hasn't made much of a dent in repaying her loans yet. Working for the Regulators will be her first steady job and source of income. Household: It's a four-bedroom bi-level flat inhabited by six people- an Aussie couple (Kieran and Rachel), a South African couple (Byron and Ana), a single South African bloke (Rudolf- usually his girlfriend Tess stays there as well), and Vi. They share two bathrooms, a common room, kitchen, patio, and balcony. It's messy, cramped, noisy, falling apart, stifling in summer and freezing in winter. Vi adores it for the fun, familial atmosphere created by her roomies. There's an ancient Airedale terrier that the first inhabitants swear was there when they moved in. He doesn't belong to anyone and has four different names depending on who's paying attention to him at the time. (Vi calls him Charlton Heston. She's not entirely sure why.) Magic Blood Status: Muggleborn. House Alumni: Hufflepuff, entered school in 1996. Wand: 9 3/4", Rowan, Ashwinder Ash, rigid. Family Mother: Victoria Pich (Muggle, doctor) Father: Albert Marlowe (Muggle, landscape architect) Siblings: n/a Other family: Great-aunt on her father's side (her father's mother's sister,) Brunhilda (no last name used.) Vi also counts her current flatmates as 'family'. Aussies Kieran (electrician) and Rachel (social worker) and South Africans Byron (film production), Adriana (Ana, film production), and Rudolf (struggling actor, currently working at a Starbucks in Hammersmith.) Relationship with each: Strained relationship with both her parents, based on the fact that they understand nothing (and don't care to understand, thank you very much) about witchcraft and resent the fact that Vi didn't study something 'normal' in school, like medicine or architecture. Vi wishes she had their respect. They tend to bargain with one another to come up with compromises to most of their issues. Her relationship with Brunhilda completely makes up for her frosty relationship with her parents. Brunhilda is her 'kindred spirit,' as the old woman says. Vi is able to ignore all the rumours and eccentricities about her aunt and adores the woman for allowing her to be herself. Kieran is the household goofball and always makes Vi laugh. Rachel is the sweet, sensitive one, the shoulder to cry on. Byron is the dark horse- rough around the edges, boistrous, hardcore. Vi was a little scared of him at first because of his dress and attitude. Deep down he has a tender streak and a big heart. Ana is Vi's evil conscience- she can sweet-talk Vi into just about anything, because she makes everything sound like so much fun. She's very protective of Vi, however, and would never put her in danger. Vi is every flatmate's younger sister due to her naivety and friendliness. External Appearance: 165cm (5'5"), slight build (not sickly but not muscular), 115lbs. Shoulder-length blonde hair (usually permed and a bit on the natty side), chocolate brown eyes. Generally, she slumps a lot, tends to let her hair fall in her face to mask her features. She has a generally serious, almost discontented look about her (even when she's not.) When consciously trying to make an impression on someone or defend herself, she'll straighten up and go steely, with a set jaw, hard eyes, and very defiant, proud expressions. Vi dresses extremely casually for the most part- loose, comfortable clothing, lots of overalls, well-worn jeans and screened tshirts. Zipped hoodies. Little to no makeup. Pale skin. She tends to hide her figure. Her hands are usually hidden in sleeves. She rarely has anything new, so most items are slightly faded, though pride keeps her from wearing clothes that are shoddy. When attending professional functions she'll put on a dress and makeup and do her hair as she does love the excitement of playing dress-up, but her fancy dress wardrobe is limited by lack of money, so if there's no occasion for it she'll take comfort over style. She's a nail-biter so her nails are short and unpainted. Gait: Vi's clumsy, and she's usually in both a rush and a daze, so her gait would be choppy, hurried, and mildly dangerous. ;) Manner of speech: Her upbringing was in London's west borough of Kensington but her aunt's cottage, which had much more of an impresson on her, was in Swindon, so Vi finds that unless she's actually with her parents, she speaks with a Swindon twang to her voice. Posture: Slouchy. Has a tendency to hide her figure. She's not one to straighten up unless she has just cause, like if she's presenting at a symposium or something. Typical scent: Ink, lavender shampoo, and the faintest aroma of fried circuits. First Impression: That one could use a hot meal and a warm place to sleep. Internal Political Views: Vi is of the belief that you're not allowed to complain about the way your country is run if you don't vote, so she's a Labour supporter, but other than the occasional bitching about traffic construction or the state of the nation's historic buildings she's not very political. Mostly she identifies as a Labour supporter because her parents are Tories and very involved in politics themselves, and she enjoys thumbing her nose at them. In terms of the wizarding world, she hates pureblood elitism, believes in equal rights for all, and rooted for Light during the war. Quirks/Habits: Vi is a disruptor, and has been her entire life. Her presence under a streetlight will make it burn out, a tv will stop working when she passes by, a cell phone, computer, or radio will short out... The newer the device, the more tendency it has to disrupt near Vi. As such, she keeps wards up on the electronics at her flat and will spell things like music equipment at clubs she visits frequently. She prefers candles to synthetic light for this reason, doesn't own any sort of music player or computer, can't keep a digital camera working for more than a day (uses cameras manufactured in the forties since things manufactured before the 1950s aren't as affected by disruption), and tends to pray before she starts up her automobile. (more about disruption below.) Chews on her nails. Smokes. Takes photos incessantly. When sitting, Vi usually has her legs tucked under her or drawn up to her chest, and a hand/arm somewhere touching her face. Has a comment (however inane) about everything. Hates her name, and will only answer to Vi or Viola. Strengths: Defensive/Warding spells. Arithmancy. Runes. Charms. Care of Magical Creatures. Possesses an analytical, organized mind. Easygoing. Optimistic. Openminded. Adaptable. Inventive. Loves trying new things and will always try anything once. Ability to think rationally under pressure. Very empathetic (friendly, warm, open with other people.) Enthusiastic. Dependable. Loyal. Generous. Persistent. Weaknesses: Offensive spells. Transfiguration. Potions. Divination. Herbology. Flying. While her mind may be organized when it comes to her work, her practical organization skills are absolutely nil, so her office looks like a paper bomb went off in it and she can never find anything. Laid back to the point of laziness when it comes to anything not related to her work. Gets broody/pouty when she's failed at something, before her optimism kicks in. Does not handle criticism well. Is extremely lacking in coordination. Very naive. Oftentimes in heated situations she thinks like a Muggle before thinking like a witch (which basically means she'd punch someone rather than spelling them.) Empathetic (often gets sidetracked from what she wants by worrying about someone else.) She views her disruption 'condition' as a weakness, because it seems to give her nothing but worry. Boggart: a plane full of people that gets its power disrupted and hurls to a fiery death. Patronus: Mouse Mirror of Erised: Herself holding several published books she's written about her research into cryptozoology, with her parents by her side, smiling and proud, and a menagerie of supposedly-extinct or 'unknown' animals she's discovered. Fears: Never being successful enough to earn her parents' respect. Causing a seriously dangerous situation with her disruption. Very typically girly fears of snakes, bugs, and things that could be lurking in the dark, though those won't stop her from pursuing an adventure. Irrational fear of Nogtails. Philias: Adventure! All creatures great and small. Researching/documenting/exploring new things. Her flatmates, her great-aunt, fish and chips, flying (though she's not very good at it), driving, dancing, photography, clubbing... Hobbies/Interests: Photography. Watching and participating in sports (she's a bandwagon jumper, meaning she'll cheer for whichever team her mates cheer for in whatever sport is currently being played/broadcast at the time. Mostly she just likes cheering.) Auto mechanics (mostly out of necessity.) Reading (any sort of thing as long as it transports her mind or teaches her something new.) Music (skaa, punk, emo, techno, electronica, hard rock, metal... basically anything being played at London's hottest fringe clubs.) Playing acoustic guitar, though she's pretty bad at it. Crossword puzzles. Favourite Belongings: Her car, an original Mini Cooper. Like most of Vi's possessions it's seen better days but it runs (most of the time) and gets her from point A to B without her having to take public transpo like a chump. Her cameras (she has many), in particular her Contax S (German, 35mm SLR manufactured 1948) for everyday photos and her K-20 (American, manufactured 1941-44 for military contract with the Navy) for aerial photos. Her broom, a battered old Comet. A silver ring with a pentacle design her great-aunt gave her for her sixteenth birthday, worn on her right ring finger. Favourite Places: Her great-aunt's cottage in Swindon: Vi's retreat from her overbearing parents and a place where she could study magic in the summers without being under their scrutiny and facing their disapproval. The first place Vi really felt she could be herself, instead of being forced to be who her parents wanted her to be. Isle of Skye: The beauty of the Isle, the romanticism and adventure of the place, its feral charm coupled with the fact that it was the place she first encountered a faerie outside of school and the birthplace of her idea to make a career out of studying the sidhe has endeared the island to Vi forever. Her flat in Hammersmith: Busy, noisy, dirty, welcoming, bursting with the vibe of freedom and youth and friendship. If only her great-aunt would move in, Vi would have her whole family under one roof. Her shiny new office: The place where her work gets done without the distraction of her flatmates! Past relationships: Vi's first relationship was with her Intro to Biology professor, a twenty-something Irishman recently tenured. She was attracted by his good looks, patience, and knowledge. He was attracted to Vi's eagerness and wholesomeness. They carried on for five months until the school year ended, then ended their relationship as Vi spent the summer traveling with her aunt. Vi wasn't terribly broken up over the end of the relationship as she'd never been in love with him in the first place. In her third year she took up with her Kineseology TA, a young man only two years older than herself. They were together for eight months, at which point Vi was dumped by him for a freshman. The end to that relationship hit her a little harder than her first, but she wasn't the sort to dwell on those kind of things, knowing there were lots of other people out there. For the most part Vi focused on her studies rather than sexual relationships, taking sex as a fun diversion, but nothing much more than that. Vi has also slept with her flatmate Rudolf, and continues to sleep with him when he's not currently with a girlfriend. She first shagged him two years previously, and found to the surprise of both of them that they had no regrets afterwards and nothing had altered between them in regards to their friendship. One particularly drunken night last year she also participated in a threesome with flatmates Ana and Byron, and though Vi didn't dislike the experience she hasn't gone out of her way to do it again. Things were strained between the three for several weeks afterwards, but eventually the awkwardness blew over and they remain close friends. Secrets: Vi's not really much for secrets- she's much too bubbly and enjoys both praise and good-natured self-deprecation too much to really bother keeping them. She supposes the fact that she still enjoys the ritual of the Anglican church services of her childhood even though she no longer considers herself a Christian would be her biggest secret- she sneaks out of her flat sunday mornings when everyone else is still sleeping off hangovers and attends church. She'd tell one of her flatmates where she was if they asked, but they never have, so she's never told anyone she still goes. History Gwendolyn Viola Marlowe was born 4 May 1985 to Muggles Albert Marlowe and Victoria Pich, the former a landscape architect heading his own company, the latter a doctor. Viola was their first and only child, and as such was cherished and indulged throughout her childhood, though most parental affection was administered from afar. The Marlowes were busy people, and though they loved their daughter dearly, they lacked the time to be truly involved in her life. Their parenting was mostly done in the form of shuffling Vi from one playgroup or after-school class to another, though her father let her join him on site visits to take pictures when she got older. Vi developed an interest in photography from a young age and her father assumed that her creativity and knack for taking professional-looking pictures could translate well into the architecture field. Her love of books and curiosity had her mother hoping she would grow up to be a famous medical researcher. The letter from Hogwarts the summer Vi turned eleven came as a complete shock and confusion to the Marlowes, even though they'd always known that Vi's propensity for unintentionally disrupting electronics meant their daughter wasn't completely 'normal'. (explaination of disruption below.) Vi, always a fan of adventure, was overjoyed by the realization that she was a witch and her whole life was about to change. Her parents were less than impressed. Albert Marlowe's aunt was a witch, and the batty old woman lived alone in a cottage in Swindon with a pack of half-wild animals, had never had a real job or contributed anything to 'normal' society, and did nothing to live normally or discourage local myth about being a witch. Vi had always been an easygoing, non-confrontational child, but she stood up to her parents when they refused to let her attend Hogwarts. When they refused to budge, she did what every passionate, adventurous, stubborn child of eleven does when they don't get their way- she ran away from home. This was easy as her parents were rarely ever home anyway, except late at night. She took a train to Swindon and dropped in on her great-aunt, whom she had never met before and had only limited correspondence with up until this point (cards and presents at Christmas and for her birthday.) In the two days that followed, Vi found herself a kindred spirit in her aunt and came to love the old woman immediately. When finally learning of her whereabouts two days later Vi's parents put up a spectacular fight and her great-aunt reluctantly had to allow the girl to return to her parents. Vi ran away as often as she could that summer and her parents reluctantly agreed to let her attend Hogwarts after being told by their therapist that being a witch was a phase she would grow out of. Her parents allowed her to attend wizarding school as long as she promised to get as much Muggle education as possible during the summer, take her A-levels after finishing at Hogwarts, and attend a Muggle university. Vi was sorted into Hufflepuff after some deliberation on the part of the Sorting Hat- she had an excellent mind that would suit the Ravenclaws and a brave and foolhearty streak that would suit Gryffindor, but in the end she was happy to join the house of the just and loyal. She breezed through most of her classes, though Transfiguration and Potions were a struggle, and her DADA marks were never as high as she liked due to an inability to master offensive spells. She was a huge supporter of the Quidditch team though she was much too uncoordinated to be an effective player herself. She dabbled with different forms of magical photography at Hogwarts but found her interest in photography was more recreational than it being something she could make a career out of. During the summers, Vi divided her time between her parents and her great-aunt, studying both magic and Muggle schoolwork on her vacations. The war began when she was finishing her first year, and her great-aunt conspired to hide from Vi's parents the fact that there was a war going on. Vi, just recently turned twelve, was influenced by the politics of her aunt, who was a supporter of Light, but she didn't understand much of the politics of the war. After graduating, Vi took a gap year to focus on finishing her Muggle education, her GCSEs and A-levels. She also spent some time traveling around the UK with her great-aunt, taking pictures and falling in love with the wilds of the north, particularly Ireland and Scotland, with the Isle of Skye being the place closest to her heart. It was the place Vi first met a member of the Summer Court, and the event changed her life by cementing the idea for her career in her head and endeared the Isle to forevermore. When she made good on the promise she'd given to her parents and began Muggle university in September of 2004 at nineteen, Vi knew she wanted to devote her life to studying the faerie and magical creatures in general. In her first year she experienced her first shag, with her Intro to Biology professor, with whom she carried on for five months before the school year ended. They stopped meeting and Vi felt only mild disappointment. In her third year, she dated her TA in Kineseology, getting dumped after eight months for a freshman. She pursued a four-year degree in zoology with a minor in anthropology and graduated in 2008 at 23. Meta Journal: disruptor PB: Billie Piper Player: Mon Category: Characters Category: Regulators